Nothing's What it Seems
by CSIsns
Summary: Seventh book wishful thinking. My idea of what might happen, though it's doubtful. Then again, that's what fanfic's for!
1. Final Stay at Privet Drive

**Final Stay at Privet Drive**

Harry knew when he woke up that he'd had a terrible dream about Voldemort. He rolled over and groaned. "Why'd I ever think it was over…?"

Apparently his awful Uncle Vernon heard him (it was past midnight! Why would his uncle be up, let alone listening for Harry to make any sounds?), and yelled for him to be quiet, boy, or he'd come into his room and personally make sure there was no way he could return to Hogwarts in one piece. At this, Harry laughed quietly, and then shoved his head forcefully under the thin white pillow he had been sleeping on, so as to muffle any noises he might make if he had any more dreams. He was not disturbed again all night, though. He supposed Voldemort had just killed someone when he had been dreaming before, and it was over. Though he didn't like this idea, he knew it was going to be happening far more often what with the war and all.

Soon he would be away from his aunt and uncle, he reminded himself. He would be going to the Weasley family's house yet again, and was determined to have fun and ignore the fact that he didn't know what would happen anytime soon. He would be seventeen on July 31st, able to use magic outside Hogwarts (he didn't know if he'd be returning to Hogwarts, though), finally free. At least he would feel free, maybe. He didn't expect huge differences in his life; he was too smart for that. But he did expect to be able to do far more than he could before.

Harry wanted to see Ginny again, and suspected that Ron and Hermione were seeing each other, whether literally, figuratively, or both. He smiled at the thought; they already fought like husband and wife. July 30th, one more day. Then he would leave, since the Dursleys wouldn't even be able to protect him anymore, and wouldn't care to either. He couldn't be angry for this; he didn't want them to protect him anymore, so it didn't matter.

He got up, made himself a small breakfast, and headed out of the house without telling anyone. It didn't matter either; they didn't notice or care. He walked around the annoyingly perfectly cut, trimmed, and taken care of yard slowly, thinking. What would he do if Hogwarts turned out to be open? Would he go or just skip his seventh year? It wasn't like he actually had to do it anyway. But didn't he want to be an Auror? But…a Death Eater had been the person who told him he would make a good Auror. Was he going nuts? He laughed softly and wondered, if he said yes, would it be true?

His worries were probably miniscule compared to those of, perhaps, the Weasleys themselves, or…no, not Dumbledore. Dumbledore was dead, he told himself. But what if he's not, asked that little voice in his head. He truly wanted to believe Dumbledore was alive. Angrily, he kicked at a particularly large stone surrounding some of the plants the Dursleys had in their front yard.

Harry didn't want to think about Dumbledore. Why did everyone he cared about have to die? Why did he have to think about it at all? Why did he have to be the person who was to face Voldemort in the end? Why couldn't he just run or hide like everyone else did…? Then he realized that even given the choice, he wouldn't run or hide…that had never been what he specialized in, he knew. He smiled again, though it was a weak smile, now having thought of Dumbledore and everything else that awaited him this year, and the year after, and who knew how long after that.

Who would care if he left a day early? He walked into the house and up to his room, and began to pack his trunk and a small bag with every item that belonged to him that he cared about. He kept Dobby's socks, which were his gifts from a Christmas a few years ago, and though he never wore them, they meant a lot to him. He packed all his gifts from his friends that were still around, all his books…

He supposed he'd stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a night, then go over to the Burrow after, since the day they'd asked him to come was the 31st, and he didn't want to be rude. He looked forward to seeing Ginny again, and Ron, and if Hermione was there, and maybe Fred and George…he smiled thinking of seeing all his friends again, and packed even faster.


	2. The Leaky Cauldron Spills Over

**The Leaky Cauldron Spills Over**

The moment Harry walked into the Leaky Cauldron, he wished he could turn around unnoticed. He wondered what Draco Malfoy was doing in the Leaky Cauldron, but attempted to ask if he could stay a night without Draco seeing him. He didn't succeed, unfortunately. Malfoy turned around, laughing at the sight of Harry's totally uncombed hair (he'd forgotten to comb it, but who cared, it would be a mess ten minutes later anyway) and the rushed look on his face.

"I suppose you've left those Muggles then, have you?" said Malfoy, his nose wrinkling at the word "Muggle," which was strange because he had been the one who uttered it. "Turning seventeen, you'll be of age and doing all sorts of stupid stuff, right?"

Harry thought Malfoy's insults were particularly lame this afternoon. "Not half the stupid things you'll be doing," he said calmly. He knew he wasn't always rational, but he also knew Malfoy was _never_ rational.

Soon after the short encounter with Malfoy, he settled into his room at the Leaky Cauldron. Malfoy had been gone for quite a while, and Harry lay on the little bed that was provided for him, reading a book about Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was his best and favorite subject. Too bad he'd never had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who lasted more than a year. Quirrell, he didn't miss at all; Lockhart was _not_ a good DADA teacher; Lupin was the best teacher they'd ever had for DADA, but he wouldn't return; Moody turned out to be a Death Eater, though the real Moody (however odd he was) was quite good; there was no other word to describe Umbridge other than horrible; lastly, Snape was someone Harry had never liked.

Harry headed downstairs to leave the Leaky Cauldron and head out for a little shopping in Diagon Alley. He came down to find that many of the people he knew were downstairs. He counted: Hermione, Ron, Fred and George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Professor McGonagall (Harry had to look twice to make sure he had really seen McGonagall; he had), and many others. There were eight people there, standing in front of him. His mouth was hanging open and he was trying to find a place where they could all sit; the Leaky Cauldron was already full to the brim, so to speak.

Finally, one of them spoke. It was Hermione, who looked gorgeous and seemed to be clinging to Ron; Mrs. Weasley kept glancing at them and smiling in what she must have thought was a non-obvious manner. "I was at Flourish and Blotts trying to find some books on…on Voldemort, and the history of Dark magic…" she looked around herself, and Harry noticed that even Ron didn't flinch at the sound of Voldemort's name. Harry had to suppress a proud smile. Hermione continued. "I was…with Ron already, and knew his family was off looking at things they needed in Diagon Alley, so Ron and I were walking around looking in the windows and Ron was admiring broomsticks and things, so we walked past the Leaky Cauldron and saw you coming down the stairs."

Harry grinned, but didn't understand how McGonagall had gotten there. "So…er…was Professor McGonagall passing or something?"

McGonagall smiled a small smile and so did Hermione, who spoke up once again. "Actually, yes. I didn't realize it until I saw you here and told Ron. She overheard and asked if you really were here, so I said yes. She joined us and the family…" Hermione gestured toward the rest of the Weasleys. "…And we came to visit with you, Harry," Hermione concluded.

Harry saw that McGonagall was motioning for him to come speak with her. "Just a moment, I'll be right back," he said, and went to go see what she wanted.

"Harry," she began in her normal stern, but somehow kind voice. "Hogwarts will be open this year." Harry realized immediately he wanted to return and smiled. "You realize Professor Snape will not be back this year, and we will have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Yes, Professor," Harry said with a tinge of bitterness in his voice, for he could not forget that it had been Snape who killed Dumbledore. "Yes."

"And there will be no need for a new Transfiguration teacher," continued McGonagall. "For that I am rather glad…Headmaster is a difficult job, you know." When she said that, she sounded remarkably like Hermione.

"Why?" Harry asked before McGonagall could continue speaking.

"Well, I thought you should be the first to know that Dumbledore was not really killed, though every bit of evidence we had pointed to it last year, didn't it?"

Harry drew in a quick breath and nearly immediately hiccupped. "Yes…but he's not dead? How? I saw Snape…I saw him do it!"

McGonagall nodded. "You saw him _say_ it, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"He didn't deliver the Killing Curse, Harry. He didn't kill Dumbledore."

"We saw the burial, all of it!"

"Professor Snape pretended to kill Dumbledore, Harry. He used his mind to cast a short spell on Dumbledore to make it appear he had died. The burial was not real."

"So why did Snape pretend to do it?"

"As you know already, Harry, Snape is very good at Occlumency and Legilimency. He convinced Voldemort that he killed Dumbledore, and made it look as though he did, as well. It was necessary for everyone to believe he was dead."

"…And Malfoy?" Harry was, of course, asking how Malfoy (not to mention the other Slytherins) would be dealt with.

"Mr. Malfoy has been taken care of and will not be attending Hogwarts anymore; besides, he doesn't wish to any longer after the events of last year. There is no need to go any further; everything is under wraps and Dumbledore can resume his position as Headmaster. The only job that will need to be replaced will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, which has proven hard to fill; thus far no one has taken it."

Harry felt like all his dreams had come true when he found that Malfoy would no longer be at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore being alive still. He also had to slightly laugh at the idea that no one wished to fill the DADA position. The feeling was amazing, and he couldn't wait to share with his friends Ron and Hermione. Though he wanted more details, he knew that as the year went on, he would get them.


	3. A Short and Insignificant Car Ride

**A Short and Insignificant Car Ride**

"You could have come over to our house, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, brushing some of Harry's dark hair away from his face, but (knowing that Harry didn't like for it to show) kept a little of it on his forehead to cover his scar.

"I didn't want to intrude too early," Harry said truthfully.

Mrs. Weasley laughed, and Mr. Weasley joined in. "You're as good as part of the family, Harry. There's no problem at all if you want to drop by sometimes. You could have just told me you left early," said Mrs. Weasley.

Harry was beginning to flush a little in his cheeks, and Ron couldn't help but grin. "Mum, he was trying to be polite," he said, touching Harry on his shoulder.

"I know, he always is," said Mrs. Weasley in response. "I just want him to know he's welcome anytime."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry appreciatively.

"Harry, why don't you get your things ready and I'll get everyone ready to leave," suggested Mr. Weasley.

"Alright," said Harry, and he went up the stairs to repack the few things he'd gotten out of his trunk. He carefully placed the Defense Against the Dark Arts book away, tossed a couple articles of clothing into it, and closed it. Then he carried it downstairs, though it was heavy. He put it at the bottom of the stairs and went to retrieve his bag, then came downstairs to find that his trunk had been taken.

"We're going to go home in a car," said Mr. Weasley. He motioned to a black car that was sitting outside The Leaky Cauldron. They all piled in, and Harry recognized that the car was far roomier than it should be, just as the Ford Anglia had been in his second year…he half smiled as he remembered the trouble Ron and he got in when they were caught flying it. Mr. Weasley winked at Harry and he grinned again. "Fred and George were kind enough to lend their car to us…they got it with their joke shop money. Quite a business, I say," he said as he began to drive the car.

"See, Mum, it turned out alright in the end, didn't it?" said Fred; Harry could tell because now Fred kept his hair longer than George did.

Mrs. Weasley glanced back at them. "Yes, I suppose…" she said, knowing that they were making quite a profit from their joke shop in Hogsmeade, which at first she had objected to.

Fred and George gave satisfied smiles to one another. "You see, we've been thinking," said George. "Perhaps…perhaps…"

"Perhaps you'd like a car as well, to replace the one Ron destroyed," Fred finished.

Ron turned a pinkish color, then looked back at the twins. "Listen, we've been over this before…"

"We know, Ron, but the story never wears out…" said Fred. George nodded in agreement.

Ron had to smile because the twins were right. It was one of those stories that people were nearly always entertained by. Everyone continued chatting in a similar manner until they got to the Burrow not too much later. By that time, they were all hungry for dinner.

"Let me see…" said Mrs. Weasley, and she conjured up a quick but delicious meal for them all.


	4. A Discussion

**A Discussion**

"Now, everyone. We need to talk," said Mrs. Weasley after dinner. Ron started to groan, but then stopped because he seemed to realize it could be important. After all, his mother had been kind in the past, only using the dreaded sentence "We need to talk" when it was really crucial. The rest of the time, she jumped right into the lecture. So Ron decided he would keep quiet and let his mother talk. He sat attentively like the others, and noticed that Harry had a rather hopeful look on his face.

Mrs. Weasley began to talk in a serious voice. "We know what happened last year. Well…the…events – seem to have happened differently than we expected, and I don't believe any of you know about it."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but it seemed no one noticed. He had wanted to tell Ron and Hermione himself but perhaps Mrs. Weasley would. He could explain to his friends later all the details; he was sure Mrs. Weasley wouldn't mention all of it.

He had stopped listening as he thought, and he "came back to earth" after Mrs. Weasley had apparently already explained and was answering questions.

"I was expecting this much," he heard her say as he came out of his near daydreaming state of mind. "I know you children…" Ron coughed in a way that obviously meant he objected to being called a child, but Mrs. Weasley went on. "…May not want to believe that Professor Snape is innocent…well, near innocent, and innocent of the crime we previously believed he committed – he did not murder your headmaster, and right now he's in a quite safe place and will return to Hogwarts for this year." She paused, looking at Harry.

"Harry, are you alright?" she asked. "Is something wrong; I thought you'd be pleased!"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley…thanks for telling me – us…" Harry said in an apologetic way. He didn't want to upset Mrs. Weasley, who was the closest thing he'd had to a mother since his real mother had passed away.

Ron glanced at Harry as well, and when Mrs. Weasley finally looked away, he slightly moved his arm to get Hermione's attention as well as Ron's, and mouthed, "Later." Both of them opened their mouths, closed them, and then nodded at him, still looking confused from the news they'd heard, and even disbelieving, understandably.


End file.
